Ed. Note: Read a personal take from Brian Bond, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

President Barack Obama makes Congressional calls from the Oval Office before Senate's final vote on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. December 18, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama released a statement on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. Today's historic vote would not have happened without the tireless efforts of many, including leaders in Congress, advocates, and the clear leadership provided by the President. As recently as this morning, the President has been reaching out to Senators from both sides of the aisle to help secure votes. It was only 11 months ago that the President called for the repeal in his first State of the Union and then laid out the plan, including the Pentagon’s Comprehensive Review for the Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, that has taken us to where we are today.

Here's the President's full statement:

Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

As Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known. And I join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness.

I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to get this done. It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.

This weekend, experts from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are in Seattle, Washington, hammering out the legal language for the landmark trade agreement President Obama announced earlier this month: improvements on the US-Korea trade deal that make the pact better for American workers and businesses, particularly in our recovering auto sector.

That agreement was reached after the President walked away from an earlier offer at the G20 meeting in Seoul, Korea. What our Korean counterparts put on the table wasn't good enough for you then, and the President chose to take more time to get the agreement right. The result of that bold decision was an agreement that won wide acclaim on announcement, and we're eager to work with its supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress to advance it as quickly as possible.

Many are asking whether two other pending trade agreements - those with Colombia and Panama - should move forward with the Korea deal. A story posted on the Politico website Friday caused some confusion about our position on that question, but it is exactly the same as it has been. While the President has not yet discussed a timeline for moving the Colombia agreement or the Panama agreement, he has said consistently that he wants his Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, to resolve outstanding issues with these agreements. The USTR office is working to do so for the express purpose of moving each agreement forward at the right time for Congress's consideration. 

This is a solid promise. The President's determination to get the Korea deal right resulted in a landmark achievement with significant support, and we'll seek the same on other trade pacts. We intend to conclude the best deals possible for American workers and businesses - agreements that are responsible and responsive to Americans' concerns, and that can soon bring home the jobs and economic prosperity that come when trade is done right. That's been our commitment from the start, and it's our commitment today. We look forward to working with the new Congress to fulfill it.

A quick look at the week of December 13, 2010:

Quote: “We are here with some good news for the American people this holiday season,” said President Obama before signing the Middle-Class Tax Cuts Bill -- legislation that will prevent tax hikes on middle class families, keep the economy growing, and maintain lifelines for millions of those who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Watch the video.

Digg the White House: The White House is now on digg.com. Take a peek and start following us right now.

Holidays in Photos: Go behind-the-scenes as the White House celebrates the holidays in this photostream.

Healthy Kids: The President signs the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act at a local DC school. The new law improves the nutritional value of school meals and increases the number of children eligible to receive them. Watch the President’s and the First Lady’s remarks.

The Night Before Christmas: The President reads to children at a local elementary school and the First Lady to patients, parents and staff at Children’s National Medical Center. Watch the video of the President here and the video of the First Lady here.

Elmo at the White House: Elmo joins Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass in the White House Kitchen to talk about healthy and tasty school meals -- and Elmo does the melon dance. Watch the video.

Lie of the Year: Politifact calls the claim that Health Reform is a "Government Takeover of Health Care" the lie of the year.

The Vice President began his remarks at the signing of the middle-class tax cuts compromise with a joke: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a -- I wasn’t going say, a big deal, but an important deal.  (Laughter.)  I can no longer say 'big deal.'"  Both he and the President readily acknowledged that there are things in the compromise that they do not like, but as the President explained the sheers numbers of hard-working Americans who would be affected, the importance was made clear:

Yesterday, the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, General James Cartwright, urged the Senate to approve the New START Treaty, saying “We need START, and we need it badly.” In Washington, dealing with the urgent sometimes trumps dealing with the truly important.  With the Senate’s consideration of New START, the United States Senate has the chance to deal with both, reducing our deployed nuclear weapons, and restoring our ability to effectively monitor Russia’s nuclear arsenal.  But now, some opponents of the Treaty – having failed to find any flaws with the Treaty – claim that they are not being given sufficient time to consider this important agreement.   Some claim that the Senate’s approach to this agreement is inconsistent with how they have been handled in the past. This criticism is wrong, and ignores the facts. 

This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), taking an important step towards improving women’s lives around the world. I commend the Committee for taking action to reduce the global epidemic of domestic violence, rape, trafficking, and other crimes committed daily against women and girls.

Across the U.S. government, we are already working towards these goals. Our Global Development Policy speaks to the importance of investing in the health, education and rights of women. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), we are connecting efforts to reduce gender-based violence with HIV/AIDS prevention. Secretary Clinton has pledged $17 million to address rape in the Congo, and, on the ground, USAID is training health care providers to respond to the needs of victims. As a follow-up to its Safe Schools program, USAID is working on changing attitudes and behaviors about gender-based violence among parents, teachers and students, enabling girls to remain in schools.  Through the Global Health Initiative (GHI), we are implementing a women and girls-centered approach to help partner countries improve health outcomes with a particular focus on maternal health.

President Obama has made the treatment of women an essential part of our global vision for democracy and human rights. Last year, the U.S. led efforts to pass UN Security Council Resolution 1888, establishing a UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict and enhancing the ability of peacekeeping missions to protect women and children from sexual violence during armed conflict. Yesterday, the UNSC passed a follow-on UNSC Resolution 1960 deepening these measures and improving how the UN system addresses sexual violence in conflict.  As a part of our global leadership on this issue, our government is also undertaking a review of its own efforts to implement UNSC Resolution 1325, which promotes the participation of women in all aspects of peace and security.

In November, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Vice President Biden said: “For every woman who has been beaten in her own home, for the millions of women who have been raped as a weapon of war, for every girl who has been attacked on her way to school, for all of the children - girls and boys - who have witnessed this brutality, we must do better.”  We join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the commitment to do better.

Lynn Rosenthal is the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

As we’ve worked to implement the Affordable Care Act and give the American people the security of knowing that their health care will be there when they need it most, opponents of reform haven't been shy about making claims that are at odds with the facts. But one piece of misinformation always stood out: the bogus claim that health reform amounts to a government takeover of health care.  Today, Politifact, a respected nonpartisan watchdog, said that this claim is the “Lie of the Year.”

In their analysis of the claim, Politifact reiterates that:

“[T]he law Congress passed, parts of which have already gone into effect, relies largely on the free market:   

• Employers will continue to provide health insurance to the majority of Americans through private insurance companies.
• Contrary to the claim, more people will get private health coverage. The law sets up "exchanges" where private insurers will compete to provide coverage to people who don't have it.
• The government will not seize control of hospitals or nationalize doctors.
• The law does not include the public option, a government-run insurance plan that would have competed with private insurers.
• The law gives tax credits to people who have difficulty affording insurance, so they can buy their coverage from private providers on the exchange. But here too, the approach relies on a free market with regulations, not socialized medicine.

So, as we’ve been saying all along, the Affordable Care Act brings unprecedented transparency, consumer protections, and benefits that empower Americans to have better control over their health care decisions--bearing no resemblance with “a government takeover” of our health care system.

It is also worth noting that this is the second year in a row that Politifact’s “Lie of the Year” revolves around the Affordable Care Act—last year it was “Death Panels.”

Read the full Politifact story here.

Ed. Note: This is the seventh in a series of posts from top Administration Officials on the importance of the DREAM Act.  Read Education Secretary Arne Duncan's post here, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis's contribution here, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke's post here, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's here, a post from Dr. Clifford L. Stanley, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, here, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack here.  This post cross-posted from the DOJ blog.

As the son of an immigrant, I grew up in New York City with a deep appreciation for the ideals that, since America’s earliest days, have defined our nation.  Like so many who have set out for America’s shores, my father and both of my mother’s parents arrived here from Barbados in search of a better life and greater opportunity – for themselves and their children.

Looking back, I can see that their dream was the American Dream.  But looking around, I can see that, today, this dream is fading for too many deserving young people who, through no fault of their own, lack documentation – and, therefore, are being denied opportunity.

That is why the DREAM Act must be passed.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Nancy Sutley, the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, hosted a live chat to answer your questions about the Obama Administration’s work to create a healthy and sustainable environment for all Americans. They took questions from Facebook participants and students ranging from eighth grade to doctoral candidates who were assembled at Occidental University in Los Angeles, CA, and were on the other end of the video chat.